National Championship Primer

Do you think you've watched, listened and read everything there is to know about tomorrow night's BCS Championship? Well, you are probably right. It's hard to believe that 30 years ago as a kid, I would listen to Auburn people complain about the lack of coverage the football team received from the media.

We can safely say those days are over. When the game clock strikes zero tomorrow in Glendale, Auburn will likely have received more media attention in a 30 day period than any college football program in history.

In case you've missed anything along the way, here are a few tidbits you can take with you to the game:

Of the 22 starters on Auburn's offense and defense, Tommy Tuberville and his staff signed 18 of them...

Oregon reserve safety Brian Jackson grew up an Auburn fan in Hoover. Unfortunately, the Tiger coaching staff didn't feel the same about Jackson. As a matter of fact, no one in the SEC courted him. That led to a 2,600 mile journey to Eugene to continue his playing career. Although his family still pulls for Auburn, they'll all be wearing green tomorrow...

When it comes to revenue there's no comparing Auburn and Oregon. The Ducks latest numbers show $59 million in revenue for its entire athletic program. Meanwhile, Auburn reported 58.6 million in revenue on just football...

Former Georgia coach Vince Dooley calls Auburn quarterback Cam Newton the best one year player he's ever seen. That's saying a lot considering he coached Herschel Walker and faced Bo Jackson.

"I would have to say that Cam Newton is the best one-season football player I've ever seen," Dooley said. "If Herschel had gotten the ball as many times as Cam Newton, he certainly could've been, and we tried to give it to him as many times as possible."...

Here's a random thought: How many people will ESPN employee to seek out the location of Cam Newton's father, Cecil in the stands of University of Phoenix stadium? Once they find him, how many times will they cut to him during the game?...

Get ready for a uniform controversy. According to multiple reports, Auburn will be altering its uniforms slightly for tomorrow's championship. Players will wear gloves with the tiger print and AU logo on the palm and "War Eagle" stenciled on the outside.

While traditionalist probably will have few qualms about the gloves, rumors of a change in the stripes on the pants may send some over the edge. My guess is, if Auburn wins, those stripes become the new "traditional"...

With Oregon being the Nike flagship and Auburn serving as Under Armour's biggest collegiate client, it has been interesting to watch the battle between the two shoe companies in the lead up to tomorrow's game.

Not to be outdone by Nike's numerous uniform designs, Under Armour came out blazing this week with a new commercial pushing its latest line of cleats featuring an actor dressed as an Auburn football player.

When asked by a media member whether Auburn would be changing its uniforms for the big game, an Under Armour exec couldn't resist, commenting, "Oregon doesn't really have the tradition and heritage that Auburn has for football. They (the Tigers) don't really need gimmicks to their uniforms to authenticate themselves."...

This season's bowl appearance marks the 36th time that the Tigers have played in a bowl game, which is the 16th-highest total of any school. Auburn has a 20-13-2 (.600) record in its previous 35 bowl games, and has played in a bowl game in 22 of the last 29 years...

Auburn is 12-3-2 in bowl games when scoring first. They are 14-2 in bowl games when scoring 20 or more points...

Auburn has been held to fewer than 20 points in five of its last eight bowl games, but is 3-2 in those five contests. They have never been shut out in a bowl game.

The Tigers have worn blue jerseys in 13 of their last 16 bowl games, going 7-5-1 in those 13 games...

Oregon has led every game this season heading into the fourth quarter...

The Ducks lead the nation in scoring offense (49.3), rank second in total offense (537.5) and fourth in rushing offense (303.8)...

Heisman Trophy finalist LaMichael James leads the nation in rushing, averaging 152.9 yards per game and has a nation-best 21 rushing touchdowns...

Oregon is seventh nationally in turnover margin at +13, and has intercepted 20 passes...

The Ducks are 14th nationally in scoring defense (18.4) and have the eighth-most tackles for loss (7.5 per game)...

Oregon leads the nation in punt returns, while individually, Cliff Harris ranks second averaging 19.5 yards per return with four touchdowns...

Oregon defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro served as the defensive coordinator at Duke from 2002-04, while Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof was the Blue Devils' head coach. The two also worked together at UMass in 1994...

Auburn has never before played on Jan. 10. In fact, the Tigers have only played two games at a later date in the academic calendar than the BCS National Championship Game. Auburn's first ever game was played on Feb. 20, 1892 - a 10-0 win over Georgia in Atlanta - and the following year, the Tigers played Alabama in Birmingham on Feb. 22, winning 32-22...

Auburn is 10-8-2 (.550) all-time in the month of January, and has won its last two...

Auburn defeated Northwestern, 38-35 in overtime, on Jan. 1, 2010 in the Outback Bowl, and earned a 17-14 victory over Nebraska in the 2007 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, also on Jan. 1.